This invention relates generally to air conditioning systems and, more particularly, to base pan structures for air conditioning systems of the type having a chassis-containing sleeve.
In a so-called PTAC (i.e., packaged terminal air conditioning) system, the apparatus is mounted in the wall by way of a sleeve which slideably receives the chassis therein. Traditionally, one of the interfaces between the sleeve and the chassis is a gasket which seals the space between the front face of the sleeve and the base pan of the chassis. This has commonly been accomplished by way of a z-shaped bracket one leg of which is secured to the bottom of the base pan and the other legs of which support a gasket attached for abutting against the inner surface of the lower wall of the sleeve when the chassis is installed so as to thereby establish a sealed relationship between the sleeve and the base pan.
It has been found that with the use of some materials the sleeve tends to sag in the middle such that when the chassis is subsequently installed, the gasket may not mate well with the sleeve lower wall to provide a good sealing relationship across the entire width. A sleeve made from a plastic material for example, is susceptible to such a phenomena since a plastic sleeve tends to sag simply from its own weight. A resulting poor sealing relationship may cause leakage of water and outdoor air into the room being conditioned.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved packaged terminal air conditioning system installation.
Another object of the present invention is the provision in an air conditioning system for establishing a good sealing relationship between a chassis and a containment sleeve.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision in a packaged terminal air conditioning system for the use of plastic sleeves without attendant leakage problems.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision for correcting a leakage problem associated with the deformation of containment sleeves.
Yet another object of the present invention is tbe provision for a sealing bracket which is economical to manufacture and extremely functional in use.
These objects and other features and advantages become more readily apparent upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.